Recreational DNA testing has grown rapidly, making it easier and more affordable, often under $100, for people to explore their ancestry and health insights.

But as the global market revenues were around $20 billion in 2024, your most precious sample of yourself carries both incredible potential and serious risks.

Let’s explore the impact of recreational tests where curiosity, knowledge and health decisions intersect.

For many, tracing family origins and discovering genetic connections with ancient populations is highly appealing. However, if your interest comes from learning your predispositions to certain diseases, the journey can quickly become more complicated.

Understanding the kits: what is really tested?

Recreational DNA testing is remarkably simple for the customer: you provide a saliva sample, and within a few weeks, you receive your results, typically displayed as graphs and tables on a webpage.

But what’s between these two steps?

Most companies analyze samples using SNP genotyping (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism arrays), which detect specific genetic markers linked to ancestry or health risks. However, these tests examine only select genetic sites rather than sequencing the full genome, limiting their accuracy.

Only a few companies offer full genome sequencing for a higher price. This method reads your entire DNA sequence, providing a far more accurate and comprehensive understanding of an individual’s DNA. This is the method typically used in clinical DNA testing ordered by physicians. These results are still compared to genetic marker databases for ethnicity and health conditions but provide far greater insights.

Regardless of the method, genetic markers may be mislabeled or misinterpreted. A marker linked to a disease or ancestry in a population does not guarantee that an individual has that condition or heritage.

From booming business to bankruptcy

From 2017 to 2020, DNA testing companies sold millions of kits. But as demand slowed, they shifted toward selling genetic data to pharmaceutical firms.

The recent bankruptcy of 23andMe, once the market leader, reveals deeper structural problems. With fewer first-time buyers, rising costs, and growing concerns over its genetic data-sharing practices, 23andMe struggled to attract new customers. These issues, coupled with market saturation, ultimately prevented sustainable profits. 

The situation sparked widespread criticism and highlighted fundamental questions about the ethical use of personal data.

Identity in a test tube

As data specialists, we know that once data is created, privacy and ownership is a challenge. DNA raises even greater concerns because it directly reveals your identity, making privacy breaches more personal and significant. These tests don’t just reveal your DNA, they also expose your relatives’ genetic data without their consent. Once online, this information is permanent.

DNA testing also raises privacy concerns, as highlighted by the consumer alert issued by California’s Attorney General regarding 23andMe’s data-sharing practices and potential risks related to unauthorized data usage. Privacy challenges are evident when we think about solving crimes, as investigators could identify suspects through distant relatives using recreational DNA tests.

This highlights the crucial role of transparent consent and strong data security.

Moreover, DNA tests provide incredible amounts of information to the customers, sometimes leading to overwhelming or anxious behaviour of knowing too much. As data scientists and bioinformatics experts, we are particularly conscious of how ancestry percentages and health risk scores can be misinterpreted. These numbers represent probabilities, not certainties, highlighting the importance of context in interpreting results. It is vital to look at the results with care and professional guidance to prevent misinterpretation or overreaction. The results can be influenced by multiple factors, including reference population limitations, missing data, or the statistical models used to generate them. However one key point is that many customers view their results as final, but genetic science evolves, meaning interpretations will shift with new discoveries.

Future directions

As genome sequencing costs decrease and AI algorithms become more advanced, DNA test interpretation will continue to improve.

Future DNA analysis may integrate AI with wearable health data, microbiome sequencing, and epigenetic profiling, enhancing accuracy and personalization.

Industry challenges could lead to smarter, more secure platforms. AI-powered insights, better healthcare integration, and stronger genetic privacy protections may define the future of DNA testing.

As data scientists and bioinformatics experts, we think that the future is not for those who collect the most of genetic data, but for those who can transform it into meaningful insights either for the customer willing to understand himself or for the scientific community.

The real question isn’t whether we can analyze our own DNA, but how to do it while respecting scientific integrity and keeping individuals at the center.

Written by Laura Jarassier